Name: Luke Carberry
Age: 22
From: Navan, Co. Meath
Luke Carberry a graduate of RACE registered his first winner between the flags when guiding the Willie Murphy trained No More Lockdown to victory at Ballingarry.
How did you get involved with horses?
I did a little bit with ponies and that when I was younger but wasn’t really that interested in them until I was older.
I started riding out with my local trainer Mick Mulvaney and then when I finished my leaving certificate I went to RACE, the apprentice school in Kildare.
From there I ended up with Aidan Howard and I was with him for about four and a half years. I then went and spent a couple of months with Evan Williams in Wales.
I came home then halfway through the point-to-point season this year and based myself with Willie Murphy and I also rode out a day a week with Peter Flood and Tom Dreaper.
How did you come about joining Willie Murphy’s team?
I had met Willie through Barry Cash who had me schooling for him and trying to get me more experience when I started riding out with Aidan first.
When I came home from Wales, Willie said sure why don’t you call down to me a couple of days of week, there might be a couple of rides there for you and it went from there really.
Did you enjoy your time at RACE?
I did yea, it was a good to get a start and sure it kind of sets you up with a job from the get go. It’s a great education for young riders and your surrounded by good people.
How did you find it working in Wales with Evan Williams?
It was good to experience, a different yard, different country, it was interesting to see how things worked over there, it just wasn’t really for me, it didn’t suit me so I came home there just before Christmas.
How did you find out you were riding No More Lockdown?
There is actually a good story to this! I actually broke my collar bone there at the start of April at Downpatrick and I thought that was me gone for the rest of the season.
Then Willie rang the week before to say there was a novice riders race at Ballingarry, he actually had two horses entered in it.
I had to ring Jennifer Pugh during the week and luckily I passed and she said I was fit to ride. So thank god it all went to plan.
Did you fancy him to run a big race?
Willie had thought he would go fairly close, he was just afraid of the ground that it might have gone a bit quick for him but he had him fairly spot on. Willie would know the time of day!
Did any of your family make the trip down?
No sadly they didn’t, my mother is not overly keen watching me ride in races, especially after breaking my collar bone and my father is working over in Germany at the moment.
Hopefully there will be plenty more for them to come and watch.
You must have been thrilled to get your first winner on the board?
There is no feeling like it! Having waited so long. It was the first time that I was going racing that I felt I had a chance of riding a winner and that I wasn’t going there just to make up the numbers.
You just can’t describe that winning feeling, there is nothing like it, it’s class!
Have you any plans for the summer?
I am riding out for Mrs Harrington now for the summer, so I’ll tip away and maybe there might be a ride or two going in a bumper over the summer.
It won’t be long until the three-year-olds are back in and it’ll all be back going again.
What are your ambitions for next season?
Hopefully try build up more contacts and get riding on a more regular basis and try get on a few nice horses.
Will you be based again with Willie, Peter and Tom for next season?
It will be much the same again for next season, it seemed to work fairly well this year and they are good people to ride for, so I’d imagine that will be the plan again.
Who is your biggest influence in racing?
I’d have to say Barry Cash and Simon Torrens they really took me under their wing when I was in Aidan Howards.
They were a big help to me and even now they are only a phone call away and are still helping me out and giving me advice. They are very good to me.
Have you any interests outside of racing?
Just racing and football really.
I try and play a bit of football with my local club Cortown, Roger Loughran and Johnny Murtagh would have played under age football with them back in the day.
